Leanna Marie

Prompt number: 1

Fandom: Dragon Age

Rating: T

Warnings/Tags: Fluff. Pure, unadulterated fluff. With a fade to black.

Read on Ao3

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“No, come back!” Cullen called, exasperated. But Elsie snaked out of his arms, ran to the doorway of the stable, winked at him and darted off in a swish of her skirts. 

He sighed but smiled as he ran his fingers through his hair, longing for her to mess it up again, to feel her hot breath on his. And he’d had her pinned against the wall of the stable block, determined to claim her then and there (it had been a long journey). But Elsie had other ideas. With a heated kiss that sent his blood pumping, she had grinned wickedly at him and now he found himself alone in these stables, save for their horses, and without his wife in his arms. And he needed her, in more ways than one. 

He heard his mabari Dusty bark excitedly in the courtyard, and with a wry grin Cullen adjusted his breeches before following the sound of laughter and barks. In the crumbling courtyard of their new home Winterwatch Tower, Cullen watched Elsie - his wife - tickle the mabari’s belly and laugh when Dusty jumped up and licked her face. She saw him watching her and got to her feet, not breaking eye contact. The breath caught in Cullen’s throat as he fell into her misty grey eyes which twinkled mischievously. He took a step towards her and then another, but she spun on her heel and whistled for the mabari to follow, much to Cullen’s agitation. 

Saw @oc-growth-and-development doing an OC-tober event and thought I’d participate as a fun excuse to slam this blog with even more Evelyn Trevelyan x Cullen Rutherford content than usual! Check out the list of prompts if you’re interested in trying it out too! 

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Evelyn let out a sigh as she took in her snowy surroundings, watching her breath linger in the frigid Frostback air for a moment before it dissipated. She had always appreciated Skyhold’s imperviousness to the region’s harsh cold, especially after the desperate trek from the ruins of Haven had left her with a chill so deeply set in her bones that she still sometimes felt it to this day. Although after a particularly stressful month drew to a close and her companions had practically begged her to take a hike with them, promising some beautiful sunrise over a particularly beautiful peak they all swore was only an hour’s hike from Skyhold, she could hardly refuse. The shadow of Halamshiral had hung relentlessly over them for the past several weeks, and frankly she was grateful for the fresh air. 

Sera had assured them multiple times by now that they were almost to their destination, though with the sun climbing ever-higher into the sky with every passing minute and still no peak in sight, Evelyn guessed these “views” had been more a tool to lure them away from their offices than an actual promise. 

After all, one glance at Commander Cullen’s loose curls - messy enough to suggest the early hour of departure had left the man too tired to bother taming them like usual - was all the “view” she needed. 

The man in question turned to her then, as if he felt her gaze on him, and broke into a light blush and breathtaking smile that was frankly unfair under the soft golden glow of the sunrise.

Closing the distance between them with one hand at her waist and one hand tucked strangely behind his back, he let his forehead fall gently against hers. Evelyn couldn’t help but match his smile as she let the customary little tingle of his skin against hers wash over her with delight. 

“You look lovely today. Have I told you that?” 

Evelyn’s smile stretched into a grin at that, knowing it had in fact been the third time he’d told her that this morning, and closed the distance between their lips with a quick kiss. 

“I don’t believe you have,” she teased, laughter tugging at the edge of her voice. 

Cullen responded with another kiss, this one lingering long enough for his hand to leave her waist and run his fingers lightly along the curve of her jaw, eventually circling around and settling at the back of her neck. 

She felt his smirk before she saw it, a mischievous curve at one corner of his mouth against hers as the fingers suddenly shifted, still tender in nature though now firmly holding her in place. Evelyn’s eyelids fluttered open in surprise at that, watching Cullen pull back from the kiss with a laugh as his formerly concealed arm squished a perfectly packed snowball directly into her hair. 

He released her as she gasped in betrayal, quick to retreat to a safer distance as Evelyn raced to gather snow in her own arms. 

* INQUISITOR BURSTS IN THROUGH DOUBLE DOORS*

Inqusitor: AYE YOU KNOW WHERE I CAN GET SOME DRUGS

mother giselle: excuse me you are in a chantry.

inquisitor in a lowered voice: oh my bad, hey you know where i can get some drugs

Inquisitor: So?

Cullen: What if you were thrown overboard while on a ship?

Inquisitor: I won’t get on any ships.

Cullen: I’m going to teach you. Here. *walks ankle deep into the water* Join me. It’s not too cold.

*Inquisitor takes two steps in*

Inquisitor: I don’t like this. How about I stay on shore and you do the swimming for me?

*Cullen glares*

Inquisitor: Fine, fine, show me first. How to not drown. I learn better by watching.

*Cullen takes off his armor and shirt* *He moves to dip down under the waves*

Inquisitor: What about your pants?!

Cullen: Right. *He strips off his trousers leaving a glistening nearly naked Commander standing in the blue waves* Like this. *Cullen moves his toned arms around* Are you watching?

Solas: “Why? You can ogle Cullen perfectly fine in the waking world.”

Trevelyan: “...You’ll keep that to yourself.”

Solas, not at all smug: “Of course, Inquisitor.”

It bugged me that there was no party banter if you were in a romance with Cullen, so I decided to make my own!

Blackwall: I ran into Cullen on the way into the main hall. Man looked exhausted but was smiling harder than a sheep knee deep in good elfroot.

Inquisitor: Why are you telling me?

Blackwall: Best to be careful with your toys, Inquisitor. You don’t want to break him.

Sera: *Snorts* Or you’ll have to take him to the blacksmith. Ya know. To fix his broken sword.

_______________________________

Cole: ‘What comes next?’ Words of hope, breaths of fear. Every hope, every wish, every future hanging upon the next. A calming smile to clear the air.

Cole: He did need to ask. Glass glitters in gaps, smirk rising. With both hands, duty shoved away allowing a chance to breathe together. How long was this dreamed of? A life?

Inquisitor: Cole? Could you not read the Commander’s mind, please?

Cole: I wasn’t reading his.

Cole: He’s happy you’re happy.

_______________________________

Varric: You owe me.

Cassandra: Now is not the time, dwarf.

Varric: Seeker, I am a businessman which has gifted me a preternatural ability to know when someone’s either gonna pay their debts or skip town.

Cassandra: Very well…

Varric: So I expect the two silvers in my palm before we next make camp.

Cassandra: *disgusted noise* Fine! Here!

Cassandra: When I met the man in Kirkwall I never would have imagined him capable of such feats upon furniture.

Varric: Curly has a habit of surprising people.

_______________________________

Solas: Where did we leave off? Ah yes, your knight took my mage.

Iron Bull: *snorts* No kidding.

Solas: Pardon?

Iron Bull: Heard there was banging for near on an hour. Some of the boys were worried they were gonna have to excavate both of ‘em, and the desk when the floor’d give through.

Iron Bull: Lucky for her, Skyhold’s built like an ox.

Solas: Could we return to the game instead of idle gossip?

Iron Bull: Seeing how both have been grinning like mertam cats in the sun, ain’t nothing idle about ‘em. Fine, fine. Tamassran to C5.

Iron Bull: This is why people like Sera more.

_______________________________

Vivienne: Lord Dorian, were you injured in the last fight? You appear to be limping.

Dorian: It is a trifle, blasted foot fell asleep upon me.

Vivienne: I see. So it is not due to you scuffling with Count Chavon in an unsavory bar brawl?

Dorian: Come now. I’d never waste my time expounding such energies in barbarism when there was drinking to be done.

Vivienne: Then it was another man’s imperium seal embedded into the dear count’s jawline?

Dorian: Ah yes, I remember the chap now. Dreadful plumage stuffed inside a chartreuse doublet. He deserved far worse for such crimes upon the senses.

Vivienne: Most curious as I heard the man was raving about our Inquisitor’s taste in bed partners, with copious references to turnip-implied genitalia. The scuttle-butt is you took it upon yourself to defend her.

Dorian: What? That’s…that’s nonsense. Why would I ever risk my neck for such specious rumors? His shoes were white leather, with crimson stockings to his knees.

Dorian: I deserve a medal for taking out such an atrocity.

_______________________________

Sera: *giggles*

Inquisitor: *sighs* What is it?

Sera: I keep wonderin’ how it is you don’t swallow fur.

Inquisitor: What?!

Sera: Wads of it sprouting on both his shoulders and the back. Have to keep your lips shut or you’ll drown in hair. Lessen you prefer to be flipped around with your bum in the sky. Suppose that’d work.

Inquisitor: Do you think…? His coat comes off!

Sera: *snorts* You expect me to believe our jackboot, prowling lion Commander don’t come with his own mane? I ain’t that gullible, dear Inquisitor.

Sera: Bet he likes having it pulled too.

For any Ser Barris fans, I’m also writing some scenes as if he was romanceable in game.

The one in-game party banter mention of a Cullen romance.

“Just now… Everything feels like it was worth fighting for”

I got inspired by getting positive feedback on my last Solavellan aesthetic and so I made a Cullen romance one C: